Best of CES 2016 The Wondrous and Wacky Year Ahead in Gadgets

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Best of CES 2016 The Wondrous and Wacky Year Ahead in Gadgets

Every January, the tech world reveals its most ambitious works in progress at CES in Las Vegas. Here's a look at the best—and craziest—devices coming your way, from app-controlled shoes to a two-way video-call system...for your pet.
(Update: We've just added links to even more WSJ coverage of CES 2016, too.)
By Geoffrey A. Fowler and Joanna Stern

Published
Jan. 5, 2016

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Where The Wild Gadgets Are

Where The Wild Gadgets Are

At the annual tech show in Las Vegas, WSJ's Geoffrey A. Fowler and Joanna Stern check out the coolest and craziest new and upcoming products.

GreatCall Lively Wearable

GreatCall

GreatCall Lively Wearable

What it is: A wearable fitness and safety monitor for seniors

Designed to help both seniors and their families, the Lively combines Fitbit-like fitness tracking with an always-on emergency service. Worn on the wrist or as a necklace, it pairs with a smartphone to gauge and report activity. A companion app offers daily challenges and virtual rewards for goals, and shares updates with family members. With a press of Lively’s emergency button, a service called 5Star responds. The device can also make a call if it senses a fall. The waterproof Lively lasts up to six months on a charge. Arriving in the spring, it will cost $100, plus $15 a month for emergency service. greatcall.com

LG Display Co. showed off a prototype “rollable” display. The 18-inch sheet of acetate-like film, which displayed a glimmering city night view, was capable of rolling up like a newspaper.

HP EliteBook Folio G1

HP

HP EliteBook Folio G1

What it is: A Windows 10 laptop slimmer than Apple’s MacBook

Thin is in for laptops, and Apple is no longer the skinniest supermodel. HP’s newest business-targeted laptop squeezes a 12.5-inch screen into an aluminum shell that’s 0.47 inches thick, trimmer than an AA battery, and a hair thinner than the 12-inch MacBook’s 0.52-inch-thick body. But while Apple had only one new USB-C port for both power and wired connections, HP managed to fit in two ports. The Folio can swing open 180 degrees, and HP claims its battery should last over 10 hours, if you choose the model with the HD screen. Expect it to arrive in March starting at $999. hp.com

SensorWake

SensorWake

SensorWake

What it is: An olfactory alarm clock

Wake up to the scent of the seaside…or a croissant! This clock’s “alarm” is a little hatch that spritzes fragrance until you shut it off. (Alas, there’s no snooze button.) SensorWake’s makers say their scents wake 99% of sleepers in two minutes, the key being pleasant yet jarring fragrances such as peppermint, chocolate and coffee. Invented by 19-year-old Guillaume Rolland, SensorWake is now working with Swiss fragrance manufacturer Givaudan on the hyper-concentrated scents: A two-scent pack costs $10.90, and is good for 60 wake-ups. SensorWake is taking pre-orders for $109, and intends to ship in June. sensorwake.com

Facebook's Oculus division said the Rift virtual-reality headset will cost $599 and is expected to begin shipping at the end of the first quarter, as the company opened the door to preorders.

4Moms Car Seat

4moms

4Moms Car Seat

What it is: A self-installing baby seat

Solving a Rubik’s cube with one hand is easier than properly installing many car seats. 4mom’s smart car seat, for babies weighing 4 to 30 lbs, aims to end all your expletives with dual LCD screens and speakers right in the seat, to help guide you through the process. Once you connect the base to the car’s metal clips, it automatically levels itself and audibly confirms that all is safe and sound. All that tech doesn’t come at the expense of comfort either: It has a peekaboo canopy, a pop-up sun shade and an adjustable headrest. Nor does it come at an extreme price premium: The seat is expected in June for $500. 4moms.com

Fitbit Blaze

Fitbit

Fitbit Blaze

What it is: A fitness-focused smartwatch

Fitbit fans no longer have to live with monochrome screens and basic fitness tracking. With a high-resolution color touchscreen, the Blaze combines the company’s workout tracking with smartwatch features. It has all you’d want for your morning run: continuous heart-rate tracking and on-screen workouts from FitStar. (It relies on your smartphone for GPS tracking.) When you’re done sweating, you can change the watch face to something more polished, put on a leather band and get your calendar and text notifications. And watch out Apple: Fitbit is promising up to five days of battery life. The $200 smartwatch will be available on March 1. fitbit.com

Thermometers, pill dispensers—now even pregnancy tests—can be connected to a smartphone and in some cases to the cloud. We’ll call it the Internet of Bodily Things.

PetChatz HD With PawCall

PetChatz

PetChatz HD With PawCall

What it is: A two-way video-conferencing system for pets

Look, the current crop of pet cams aren’t very fair. You can see what your furry friend is up to 24/7, but what if they have to get in touch with you? PetChatz understands the four-legged pain. The HD camera already had two-way video chat and an app-controlled treat dispenser. This year’s innovation? The PawCall accessory, which lets Fido initiate the call. When the pet-safe button is pressed, you’ll get a request on your smartphone or computer for a quick woof or meow—or more likely one of those delicious hidden treats. The PetChatz HD system is available now for $380. The PawCall will be available in February for an additional $100. petchatz.com

The controversial former NSA contractor and whistle-blower appeared virtually at the booth of Suitable Technologies, maker of the Beam telepresence device.

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Digitsole Smartshoe

Digitsole

Digitsole Smartshoe

What it is: A highly connected sneaker

Forget Marty McFly’s self-lacing sneakers from “Back to the Future,” when you pair your smartphone with Digitsole’s Smartshoe, you can wirelessly control the temperature of the insole, adjust for a snugger fit and even turn on the shoe’s built-in flashlight. Naturally it tracks your step count to calculate calories burned and distance walked. And what would sneakers of the future be without built-in wireless charging? And if you miss the charging mat, you’ll still get multiple days on a charge, says the French maker, which promises this tall order by fall for $450 a pair. digitsole.com

The R70i Age Suit, built by a tech firm for an insurance company, simulates vision and hearing loss, as well as reduced mobility from muscle deterioration and arthritis.

Bartesian Cocktail Machine

Bartesian

Bartesian Cocktail Machine

What it is: A pod-based mixed-drink maker

Bartesian does for the margarita what Nespresso did for coffee. Pop in a capsule, select a desired strength, and this robot bartender prepares one of potentially hundreds of cocktails. The Bartesian draws on four containers filled with rum, vodka, tequila and gin. The capsules—which come in familiar flavors such as Cosmopolitan, Zest Martini and even Sex on the Beach—contain the bitters, juices and other flavors needed to complete the cocktail, no shaking or stirring required. Bartesian costs $300, plus $20 for a mixed pack of 12 capsules, and is expected to ship in the spring. bartesian.com

Television tech made progress at the high and low ends at the show. LG unveiled a new version of its OLED 4K TV, while Hisense announced a $700 TV with unprecedented performance for the price.

Lego Education WeDo

Lego

Lego Education WeDo

What it is: Lego robots that teach science and coding

Playing with Lego is fun, but now it’s also a way to teach science. Lego Education WeDo 2.0, a big wireless update to a system that launched in 2009, teaches children to build tiny robots while challenging them to solve real-world science problems with coding and, of course, bricks. The system includes an electronic building brick, a motion sensor and a motor, as well as a wireless hub. Projects are open-ended: Students are asked to design a device that could mitigate devastation in a storm-damaged region. Unlike Lego Mindstorms, which are designed for middle schoolers, WeDo aims younger, at Grades 2 and 3. The $160 kits are mainly for schools, but families can buy them, too. education.lego.com

It ain’t easy being a cable cutter, but this year at CES, the tech industry promised to make life a little easier for people braving television’s online frontier.

These Gadgets Want You to Look Better

These Gadgets Want You to Look Better

A belt that tells you to get up and move, a headband that's supposed to fight hair loss and more. WSJ's Joanna Stern takes a look at new devices that want to make you feel better about you.

Variowell Smart Bed

Variowell

Variowell Smart Bed

What is it: A mattress that responds to your fitness tracker

There are more sleep tracking devices than sheep to count but Variowell’s smart bed promises to actually do something with the data. The mattress connects to smartwatches and fitness trackers. Then, in real time, it adjusts the firmness based on your sleep stage. In light sleep, it firms up. In deep sleep, it softens to make sure you’re most comfortable. Before you wake up, it becomes firm again. If you prefer, you can adjust the firmness manually using a smartphone app. It sounds like a dream come true, but we’ll have to wait until May to find out. variowell-development.com